Furnace assembly



SepLO, 1946. R MARTIN 2,407,375

FURNACE ASSEMBLY 4Filed Nov. 6, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept.- 10, 1946. R. MARTlN V2,407,375

FURNACE ASSEMBLY Filed Novje, 1941 4 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR ATToRNEY Patented Sept. 10, 1946 UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE FURNACE AS SEll/[BLY Russell Martin, Wichita, Kans., assigner to The Coleman Lamp and Stove Company, Wichita, Kans., a corporation of Kansas Application November 6, 1941, Serial No. 417,993

12 Claims. (Cl. 126-116) ing down and up draft passages for circulating air in contact with a heater unit which is supported in the inner jacket. Since the furnaces are usually installed in relatively small, out-of-way places, and in homes without basements, they are of relatively small size and the parts are arranged compaotly so that they are difficult to install and service after installation.- Consequently it is desirable to design the inner parts for ready removal from the outer jacket as disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 378,698, which has matured into Patent No. 2,324,862, dated July 20, 1943, on Floor furnace. However, this requirement oers manufacturing problems as to construction, assembly and support of the parts so that they are of stable, strong and rigid construction, free of expansion and contraction noises, and at the same time produced at relatively low cost.

Therefore, the objects of the present invention are to provide a floor furnace structure that is of strong, rigid construction and capable of being produced at relatively low cost; to provide a simplified support of the heater and inner jacket units which facilitates mounting thereof so that they may be readily removed for servicing after installation; to provide the outer Icasing with supports drawn integral with the bottom member thereof; to -provide a three-point support for the heater unit and inner jacket carrying frame which, in itself, is formed of easily welded pressed metal parts; to provide a slip collar vent connection to the combustion chamber outlet which telescopes into the outside venting pipe; to provide a structure which tends to eliminate expansion and contraction noises; and to provide a construction which reduces the over-all depth of the furnace. L*

in accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, as hereinafter pointed out, I have pro-- vided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Fig. l is a vertical section through a floor furnace constructed and assembled in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a section through the supporting frame on the line 2--2 of Fig. l, particularly illustrating mounting of the constant levelfuel control valve thereon.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the furnace taken at right angles to the section shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section through the lower portion of the furnace, particularly illustrating support of the heater and inner jacket units.

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the furnaceV with the Y cover grill removed and parts broken away and shown in section to better illustrate the con struction.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bottom member of the outer casing.

7 is a perspective viewof the heater unit and its supporting frame.

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the front member of the supporting frame.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I designates a floor furnace constructed in acoordance with the present invention and which includes an outer jacket or casing 2, an inner jacket unit 3, and a heater unit 4, all of which are designed to facilitate manufacture, ease of assembly and in general to provide a better, more satisfactory construction. The outer casing 2 includes the bottom member 5, preferably formed of a single stamping shaped to enhance the' rigidity thereof and form surfaces for directing air circulated through the furnace, The bottom member 5 includes a marginal portion G, curved upwardly, as at l, fromV the floor portion 8 which has the central portion thereof crowned upwardly as at 9, the sides I 0 -of the crown sloping upwardly and terminating in a horizontal portion I I underlying the heater unit as shown in Fig. l. The marginal portion of the bottom member terminates in an outset marginal flange I2, forming a shoulderlike seat I3v for the vertical sheet metal walls I4--I5 andl Iii-Il, the lower edges of which engage within the ange I2 and are spot welded or suitably attached thereto to form a unit construction. The upper edges of the vertical walls terminate in laterally extending flanges Iwhich are adapted to rest 'upon the marginal edge ofthe floor vI8 having an opening 20 therethrough in which the casing 2 is supported., The top of the casing is covered by a, grill 2| which extends over the flangesV I8 and is removable to permit access to the interior of the casing. The junctures of the curved portions 'l of the bottom member are rounded, as at 22, to form seats 23 and 24 to cooperate with an instruck seat 25 located at the mid point of the opposite side of the body member, the seat 25 being of elongated shape to betterA 3 corners for the stable support of a carrying frame 26.

The carrying or supporting frame includes front member illustrated in Fig. 8 and which is formed of pressed metal shaped to provide a horizontal web portion 2l and a vertical flange portion 28 terminating at the ends thereof in substantially channel-shaped diverging arms 29 and Se, having horizontal portions 3l forming continuations of the web 2l' and depending anges 32 forming continuations of the flange Z8, The side of the web 2' opposite the flange 28 includes an upturned flange 33 carrying inwardly extending stud or trunnion 313 for a purpose later described. The supporting frameV also includes side members or rails 35 and 3d formed of pressed metal and having channel-- like shape to provide horizontally arranged web portions il and depending lianges 38 and 3i). The ends of the side members are inserted over the diverging arms 25 and 3i) and the web and inner flanges thereof are welded to the corre sponding parts of the front frame member. When the web portion of the front member is mounted on the seat 25 of the bottom member the side members diverge toward the corners of the outer casing and the web portions thereof terminate in extensions dll and il reinforced by corrugations 12, and which bear upon the seats 23 and 2li of the bo-ttom member.

The heater unit 4, which is illustrated in the drawings, is constructed as described in my copending application on Oil burning heating units, Serial No. 409,223, filed September 2, 1941, which has matured into Patent No. 2,332,736, dated October 26, i943, and specifically forms no part of the present invention, but briefly it includes a pair of mating sheet metal sections 43 and 44 shaped to provide fro-nt and rear Walls 45 and 4G having inwardly flanged marginal portions ll-48 and dil- 50 which terminate in laterally extending rims 5I that are welded together to form a substantially elongated combustion chamber 52 and a lower burner chamber 53 that is separated therefrom by a horizontal partition Sli. The partition 54 has a central opening 55 to suspendingly support a burner or repot 55 within the burner chamber and which is supplied with liquid fuel through a pipe connection 51 extended through an opening in the rear wall of the burner chamber, as shown in Fig. l. The rear wall of the .combustion chamber is provided in laterally offset relation with the burner pot with a flue outlet collar 5B at a relatively low point in the combustion chamber so that it registers with a depressed portion 5S of the partition member and .facilitates mounting of an air governor 55 disclosed in said last named copending application, and which is actuated responsive to a pressure differential for admitting combustion supporting air.

The supporting frame previously described is rigidly attached to the heater unit by means of brackets 6l and 52 including plate portions 63 secured to the front and back walls 45 and It of the heater unit, `as indicated at 54, and which have depending portions extending to the bottom of the flanges 38 and 39 as best shown in Fig. 7, the plate portions being so attached that those at the front of the heater unit are located on the outer sides of the supporting frame and those attached to the rear of the heater unit yare on the inner sides as shown in Fig. 7. The side edges of the plate portions 53 of the front bracket members 6| having wing-like flanges 55 which are suitably attached as by welding to the outer depending anges 39. The opposite side edges of the brackets have Wings 6'! extending forwardly in angular directions and these wings` have notches 68 forming horizontal seat portions 69 and vertically arranged stops 'I5 for centering and supporting :the inner jacket unit 3 as later described.

The rear bracket members also have angularly extending wings 'H with. their lower edges welded to the inner anges 38, as at l2, and the upper edges have notches "i3 forming horizontal seats M and vertical stops l5 to cooperate with the similar portions of the front brackets 6i. It is ,thus obvious that when assembled the heater unit and supporting Iframe form a unitary construction and that the supporting frame is inserted and removed to and from the outer casing for support on the seat portions 23, 24 and 25 upon insertion of the heater unit.

The inner jacket unit includes an outer sheet metal member T16 having front and rear walls ll-'i8 and side walls 'l-80 spaced from the corresponding walls of the outel1 casing to provide downdraft air passages 8i therebetween. The upper edges of the vertical walls of the outer member terminate in inwardly inclined portions 82 cooperating with the outer casing to form widened inlets 83 to facilitate movement of air from the marginal edges of the grill to the downdraft passages 8l and to provide means for directing updraft air toward the centralportion of the grill. The walls of the outer member are relatively short and terminate at a material distance above the bottom of the outer casing, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The inner jacket further includes an inner member 84 having front and rear walls 85-35 and side walls Sil-88 spaced inwardly from the corresponding walls of the outer member to provide secondary updraft passages S5 for ow of a portion of the air moving through the downdraft passages, upwardly, therethrough, to carry off heat radiated from the neater unit and prevent heating of the downdraft air prior to its passage under the lower edges of the respective inner jacket members, as set out in my copending application Serial No. 386,595, on Furnace The upper edges of the inner walis terminate substantially in plane With the lower parts of the inclined portions 82, but the bottom portions of the inner walls extend below the outer walls and in substantially coextensive relation with the heatei1 unit 6 so that the lower edges seat within the notches 58 and of the brackets previously described. AS disclosed in this application, the inner member 8d is preferably formed of heat absorbing material and the outer member of heat reflecting material so that the heat radiated from the heater unit is absorbed -by the inner member and transformed to convectional heat which is carried away by the air moving through the passageway 89. The main portion of air moving downwardly through the downdraft passageway, however, is directed by the curved surfaces 'l of the bottom member and under the inner jacket member for upward movement in the main updraft passageway in heat exchange relation with the walls of the heater unit Since the members of the inner jacket are subject to heating and cooling, it is difficult to construct them so they will not produce noises. If the members are rigidly mounted at the corners, as in conventional practice, the side Walls, upon heating, expand in the direction of the rigidly mounted corners, but the expansion is resisted thereby with the result thatV the expansive forces are stored up in the vsheet metal until such a time that the central portions thereof are forced out of their normal plane which produces a snapping or booming noise. Consequently there is a similar movement in the opposite direction upon cooling of the metal. However, with the present construction where the corners` of the inner member are free to expand in the planes thereof due to the fact that they are mounted to the inner casing in the center of the sheets, the lower portion remains comparatively cool and there is practically no noise produced by their sliding on the brackets on which they rest. Inl order to furtheravoid the booming noises, the central portions ofthe sidewalls of the inner member are bowed inwardly at the vertical Vmedian points thereof, as clearly shown at 9| in Fig. 5, so thatiany expansion forces which mighty occur cause -the sheets to iiex in the direction in which they are bowed. Consequently, there is no snapping action as when the sheets reverse' their positions.

In order to provide free expansion and contractionof the inner member in a vertical direction it is attached to the outer member at medial points near its upper edges by stud bolts 92 extending through' spacing -sleeves 93 best illustrated in Figs. 1i, 3 and 5, the bolts being drawn up to bring the sheet portions into abutting relation with the ends of the sleeves. However, the bolts and tubes can assume an inclined position when a difference of vertical expansion of the inner and outer members occurs. The lower portions'of the outer member are fixed to foot portions 94 on the diverging legs 95 of brackets 05 that are xed tothe mid-point of the inner walls in substantially vertical alignment with the upper supports. With this arrangemenuit is obvious that the outermeniber is rigidly attached to the inner member at the vertical centers of the Walls, but the corners are unsupported and free to expand and contract in the plane thereof with the result that the snapping and booming noises are eliminated.

The rear wall of the inner member is provided with a notch-like opening 91 through the lower edge thereof to permit passage of the inner jacket unit over a pipe 08 which extends through the'rear wall of the outer casing and is adapted -L to be connected with the flue collar 58 by a contractable band 09, the pipe 08 being reciprocably supported in a collar |00 carried by the rear wall of the outer casing as shown in Fig. 5. The collar |00 is removable for crating and is installed in the furnace wall after 'the casing has been lowered through the hole .in the oor. In order tor direct the downdraft air away from the pipe 08, the notch-like opening 91. carries a hood |0I which extends over the pipe and has ends projecting downwardly at the sides of the notch as shown in Figs. l and 5. v

Since the furnace illustrated is' adapted for burning liquid hydrocarbon fuels,.it is provided with a constant level control valve |02 which is xedto a base Aplate |03, having a dependingr flange I 04 pivotally supported on the trunnion 34, previously mentioned, as shown in Figs. 1 'and 2. The opposite side of the base plate extendsover the sidemembers of the supporting frame and' is 6 screwsV le? and '|08 are provided with their Shanks rextending through openings IOS-in the base plate, through the springs, through registering openingsin the arms, and into nuts ||0 attached to the under face of the web portions of the supporting frame. Itis obvious ythatby adjusting the screws within the nuts: the base plate may be' rocked laterally on the trunnion to adjust the constant level valve in one direction and that like adjustment of both screws dips the base plate to adjust the constant level .valve in the opposite direction, Thus by merely manipulating the screws |01 and |08 the constant level valve may be adjusted to a level position when the frame or casing is out of level.

The constant level Valve is connected with the fitting 51 by a pipe III through which fuel is passed to the burner'pot. The constant level valve is supplied with liquid fuel through a pipe I I2 that is connected by a union I I3 with a stop valve I I4 located in the upper portion of the furnace in convenient reach through the floor opening and which is connected with a service pipe H5. In order to facilitate lighting of the fuel and permit access to the interiorof the heater unit, the top thereof is provided with an elongated opening I I adapted to be closed by a door II'I which is seated upon a gasket H8 encircling the opening. The door is adapted to be swung to open position one hinge comprising a rocker shaft I I9 which is oscillatably mounted in brackets |20 at the sides of the opening and attached to the combustionchamber.y The ends of the shaft terminate in arms |2| having laterally directed ends |22 pivotally mounted in ears |23 attached to the door. The door is further provided with a handle |24 by which it may be lifted from lthe opening, rocking the hinge shaft IIS in the brackets |20 with the l door trunnioning on the terminal ends |22 of the arms I2 I. The door, after clearing the brackets |20, may then be swung retractively to clear the opening cornpletely without turning the under side of the door outermost. Withthis arrangement, a relatively large door opening may be provided and give ample room for the door to be opened in the space provided under the grill, since the door, in moving to open position. is raised only a distance substantially equivalent to the length of the arms |2I of the shaft I9. In order to adjust the rate of oil flow from the constant level valve, the acl'- justing head |25 thereof is connected by a rod |26, "having its upperend pivotally mounted in an angular-shaped bracket |21 extending laterally from the jacket unit at a point below the grill. The stein is yof sufcient length to extend through the bracket and be provided with a laterally extending handle |23 whereby the stem may be readily rotated by use of a key extending through the grill.

The-parts comprising the outer casing, inner jacket and heater unit and supporting frame are assembled into sub-assemblies. rIhe supporting frame 26 and the bracketsl and 62 are secured on the heater unit. The constant level valve |02 is mounted on the base plate |03, andconnected supported on coil springs |05 and IIN:` having their lower ends bearing upon the supporting frame and their upper ends against the plate. Since the constant level valve Vmustv be levelfor properly metering fuel in the fire-pot, adjusting to the heater unit by the pipe lI I. Withthe various ttings attached to the respective units, the heater unit carrying the supporting frame is lowered into the outer casing so that the extensions 40Aand 4I engage the seats 23 and 24 and the web 21 engagesy thev elongated seat 25. Thev heater unit Vmay then be secured or blocked withinthe casing., The inneriacket unit carrying the adjusting rod" |26 isginsertedthroughthe yopen 'tcp of the casing and over the heater unit so that the lower edges of the inner member engage the notch-like seats of the brackets 6| and 62, the vertical or stop portion of the notches guiding the inner jacket unit into centered position. The flue collar M35i is packed within the furnace to reduce the crate size The grill may then be attached to the open top of the outer casing and the assembled parts crated for shipment to the purchaser.

Upon receipt of the furnace, it is uncrated and the inner jacket unit is first removed, followed by the heater unit. An opening 2i) is then prepared in the floor i9 at the location where the furnace is to be installed and the opening is suitably framed. The outer casing is then dropped through the iloor opening to be supported therein by engagement of the flanges I8 with the floor. The outside fl-ue collar is secured to the cuter casing and connected with a suitable chimney by the usual vent pipe. The pipe 9S is then inserted into the outer collar and slid retractively into the vent pipe to permit passage of the flue collar 53 when the heater unit is inserted. The supply pipe H5 is connected with the stop valve 2M which is located within4 the outer jacket near the open top thereof so that it is in convenient reach through the floor opening. The heater unit is inserted through the open top of the casing for support upon the seats 23, 24 and 25 therein. The pipe H2 is connected with a stop valve lili by means of the union H3. The constant level con-- trol valve is adjusted to a level position. The pipe 98 carrying the contractable band 99 is shifted toward the heater unit with the band sliding over the collar 58. The band is then tightened in posin tion establishing a flue connection between the heater unit and the vent pipe leading to the chimney. The inner jacket unit is then moved through the open top of the casing and telescoped over the heater unit so that the lower edges of the inner member engage the notch-like seats of the brackets 6! and 62. After connecting the actuating rod IZB with the adjusting head l25 of the constant level valve, the furnace is ready for operation. The constant level valve is opened so that fuel flows into the burner pot. The door I il is opened and a lighted match or other burning substance is dropped into the fire-pot, which ignites the fuel. The door is then closed and the grill 2| is applied to the open top of the casing, completing the assembly.

After the furnace has been in operation for some time and in need of service, the parts are readily removed to a point above the floor so that they may be readily cleaned and adjusted, after which they are returned to the outer jacket and readily centered therein. With the inner jacket constructed as described, there are no points to obstruct free expansion and contraction and noises usually caused by furnaces are eliminated.

It is obvious that the supporting frame pro vides a simple and inexpensive method of removably mounting the inner unit and when the units are inserted they are retained in stable position thereon. The furnace parts are all readily manufactured and assembled into units at low cost to provide a most satisfactory furnace construction.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a floor furnace, a casing, a removable heater unit in the casing, a supporting frame for the removable heater unit, brackets connecting the frame with the heater unit and having seats and jacket guiding portions leading to said seats, and a jacket removably enclosing the heater unit g and having support on said seats of the brackets. 2. In a floor furnace, a casing having seats in the bottom thereof arranged for tri-point mounting of a removable heater unit in the casing, a heater unit, a supporting frame engaging said seats, brackets` connecting the supporting frame with the heater unit and having seats and jacket guiding portions leading to said seats, and an inner jacket enclosing the heater unit and having bearing support on said seats of the brackets.

3. In a Hoor furnace, an outer casing having seats in the bottom thereof arranged for tripoint mounting of a heater unit, a supporting frame including a member having a transverse 1- portion `engaging one of said seats and provided with angularly extending arms, side members connected with said arms and having ends lbearing on the other seats, a heater unit, and brackets connecting the heater unit with the side members of said frame.

4. In a floor furnace, an outer casing having seats in the bottom thereof arranged for tri-point mounting of a heater unit, a supporting frame including a pressed metal member having a transverse portion engaging one of said seats and provided with diverging arms, channel members connected with said diverging arms and having extensions on the webs of said channel members bearing on the other seats, a heater unit, and brackets connecting the heater unit with the channel members of said frame.

5. In a floor furnace, a substantially rectanguiar casing having a bottom member provided with impressed seats in adjacent corners thereof and an elongated seat impressed in the side opposite saidcorner seats for tri-point mounting of a heater unit in said casing, a supporting frame including a member having a transverse portion engaging said elongated seat and provided with angularly extending arms, side members connected with said arms and having ends bearing on the corner seats, a heater unit, and brackets connecting the heater unit with the side members of said frame.

6. In a floor furnace, an outer casing having seats' in the bottom thereof arranged for tripoint mounting of a heater unit, a supporting frame including a member having a` transverse portion engaging one of said seats and provided with angularly extending arms, channel-like side members connected with said arms and having ends bearing on the other seats, a heater unit, and brackets connecting the heater unit with the channel-like side members of said frame.

7. In a furnace, a rectangular outer casing, a rectangular inner jacket, a removable heater assembly including a burner, a removable frame seated'on the bottom of the casing and removably supporting both the inner jacket and the heater assembly, and brackets connecting the heater assembly to the frame and having downwardly inclined portions for guiding the inner jacket to its support on the frame.

8. In a'fioor furnace, a casing having seats in the bottom thereof arranged for tri-point mounting of a heater unit assembly, a removable supporting frame, said assembly including a member having a transverse portion engaging one of said seats and provided with angularly extending arms, side members connected with said arms 9 means adjusting length of said springs under compression to level the liquid fuel control valve, a heater unit, and brackets connecting the heater unit with the side membersof said frame.

9. In a furnace, an outer casing, a heater unit in the casing, a jacket forthe heater unit ncluding an inner shell having interconnected front, rear and side walls facing the heater unit to absorb radiant heat and transmit said heat to upwardly moving columns of air, an outer shell spaced from the inner shell to provide a passageway of a size to promote free flow of columns of air moving upwardly between the shells, said inner walls of the inner shell each having central portions offset from planes defined by the connections of said walls, and rmeans supporting the outer shell from the inner shell at said central offset portions, said connection being arranged to provide for vertical expansion.

10. In a floor furnace, a casing, a heater unit in the casing, an inner jacket in the casing including a heat transformer within said jacket to absorb radiant heat and transmit said heat to upwardly moving columns of air, said heat transformer having interconnected front, rear and side walls spaced from corresponding outer walls of said jacket to provide ample passageways for free air flow and having offset portions diverging from the vertical centers of the Walls to the interconnections of said Walls, means sup- 10 porting the inner walls from theouter walls of said jacket and means supporting the jacket near the vertical centers of said Walls.

1l. In a floor furnace, a casing, a heater unit in the casing, an inner jacket, a heat transformer within said jacket and spaced therefrom to provide freely moving columns of air on sides of the heat transformer for absorbing radiant heat from the heater unit and for transmitting said heat to the columns of air, said heat transformer including interconnected front, rear and side walls, each of said walls diverging from the vertical centers thereof to the connections of said walls.

l2. In a floor furnace, a casing, a heater unit in the casing, a jacket in the casing including a heat transformer Within said jacket and having interconnected front, rear and side Walls facing said heater unit and spaced from corresponding Walls of the jacket to provide upward ow Y of columns of air along the sides thereof to absorb radiant heat and transmit said heat to said columns of air and having portions diverging from the vertical centers thereof to the interconnections of the transformer walls, means supporting the heat transformer walls solely at the lower edges of said interconnections, and

means supporting the walls of said jacket from the vertical centers of the heat transformer walls.

RUSSELL MARTIN. 

